YuGiOh! Delta: Ignition
by AuroraSol
Summary: In this story, we tell the short tale of a brother and sister, of the times they had together, of the laughs they shared, and of the day their world came crumbling down at the hands of a helpless girl possessed by an evil piece of cardboard. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

"Big brother, what's Duel Monsters?"

Keane looked up quizzically from his cereal as his little sister, Esta, closed the kitchen door behind her. "Duel Monsters?" he said. "Why do you ask?"

Esta sat down across the table from him, setting her bowl down carefully. "Loads of people talk about it at school all the time," she explained. "They mention it pretty much every day. At first I thought it was just a... um... what was it called?"

"An inside joke?" Keane suggested, returning to hid cereal.

"Right, that's it!" she said. "But lately, it seems like everyone's talking about it. Can you tell me what it is?"

Keane glanced at the clock to see how much time they had before they had to leave for school. Seventeen minutes. He had plenty of time. He turned back to her and nodded. "Of course I can sis." He laid down his spoon and took a deep breath before starting. "Now, I've already taught you how to play things like blackjack and snap, right?"

Esta nodded excitedly, her own breakfast forgotten.

"Well," Keane went on, "Duel Monsters is a card game, kinda like them- well, it's actually a lot deeper than them."

"What do you mean?"

"How to I explain this...?" Keane mused. "Inherently, it's a method of combat. In a duel, two or more people go against each other in an intense battle, with victory being the only objective. You win by Summoning monsters to inflict more damage to your opponent than they can inflict to you. People use it as a way to settle disputes, prove their strength, and sometimes even as a way to bully people."

"That's horrible," Esta gasped. "Why do so many people play a game like that? It sounds awful."

"You didn't let me finish," Keane replied, a hint of a smile on his face. "Now, unfortunately, there are so many people out there who'll never view Duel Monsters as anything more than that – a convenient way to solve problems, or just to show off. That kind of shallow thinking is what puts real duelists to shame. Dueling is so much more..."

"How so?" she asked.

Keane smiled at her. "Dueling is a way of life, Esta. It's a way of connecting people. If you're in a true and heated duel with someone, you can exchange thoughts and feelings with each other, simply through your cards. It lets you learn about people in a way you could never do with words alone."

"How?" Esta asked, in obvious awe.

"You just feel it," Keane said. "You... um... it's hard to explain really. It's something that you really have to feel for yourself." He picked up his spoon and returned to his bowl of cornflakes. "Well, I suppose you won't, since you don't know how to play-"

The excited response came almost immediately. "Can you teach me how to play?!"

Keane grinned and set his spoon down again. "Now how did I know that you were going to ask that question?" he said, reaching into the schoolbag at the foot of the chair and pulling out his Deck.

The cereal in front of Esta was quickly getting soggy and mushy, but she completely ignored it as her brother spread his cards out on the table in front of her.

"Alright," he said, pointing at two of the cards. "These yellow and orange cards are called Monster Cards. These are the main part of any Deck, and they'll be what you use for all your attacking."

"Ok," Esta said, before pointing to another card. "What about these green ones?

"I'm getting to those," Keane said patiently. "Those aren't Monster Cards, they're Spell Cards. You use them to support your monsters while they do the attacking. See, look there... you can tell that they're not monsters because they don't have any ATK or DEF stats."

"Oh, I get it!" Esta said. Keane knew perfectly well that she hadn't got it at all, and a few seconds later, she confirmed it. "Wait, what about these black cards. They aren't yellow or orange, but they have that ATK and DEF thingy. Does that mean they're monsters too?"

"Sort of, yes. These are Xyz Monsters," Keane explained. "They're kept separate from the Main Deck, and you Summon them by combining some of the monsters you already have out."

"Combining?" Esta queried. "How do you do that?"

"Well, you take two or more of your monsters that have the same number of stars on them, then you place them on top of-" Keane trailed off as a better alternative came to mind. "Tell you what..." he said, slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder, and scooping his cards off the table. "Why don't I show you?"

*THAT AFTERNOON*

**Keane LP:** 3900

Constellar Omega: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 500 – 1 OLU

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Tiger King: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU

Starliege Paladynamo: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 1000 – 2 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Fire Formation – Tenki

**James LP:** 1150

Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon: Thunder-Type/Fusion/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK 2800/DEF 2100

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Call of the Haunted, 1 set card

"Right then, I activate Paladynamo's effect!" Keane declared. "Once per turn, by detaching both of its Overlay Units, I can reduce the ATK of any monster you control to zero, and cancel all of its effects, if it has any." With a pair of swift and accurate slashes, Paladynamo carved up its two shining yellow orbs, and absorbed the residual energy into its blade.

Starliege Paladynamo: 2 → 0 OLU

With that done, it turned its blade on James' Fusion Monster, pointing it straight at the dragon's torso. A bolt of crackling electrical energy shot from the tip of the sword and engulfed the monster, draining it of its power.

Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon: ATK 2800 → 0

"Hoo boy," James whistled. "This isn't gonna end well for me, is it?"

"Not really," Keane agreed. "Go, Paladynamo! Rip his dragon to shreds!" The shining warrior began to charge a dark red sphere of power at the tip of its blade.

In a panic, James triggered his face-down card. "I activate the Trap Card, Mirror Force!" The set card activated. "When an opponent's monster declares an attack, this card destroys every Attack Position monster they control!" Paladynamo launched its attack at the dragon, but before it could land, a domed barrier appeared around the monster, which effortlessly dissipated the attack. Then, with a blinding flash of light, the barrier sent out a shockwave of energy, which incinerated first Paladynamo, then Tiger King.

"In chain to that card, I activate the effect of Constellar Omega!" Keane called. "Once per turn, by detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can make all Constellar monsters I control immune to Spell and Trap effects this turn!" Omega's final yellow orb was absorbed into the symbol on its chest.

Constellar Omega: 1 → 0 OLU

With a whooshing sound, the shockwave split in front of the centaur, passing harmlessly either side of it. When the light faded away, each player now only controlled a single monster.

"Of course, since it's now immune to Spell and Trap effects," Keane said, "Omega no longer receives a boost from my Fire Formation Spell Card."

Constellar Omega: ATK 2500 → 2400

"Oh, and while I'm at it, Paladynamo's effect activates," Keane went on. "When Paladynamo is destroyed by my opponent and sent to the Graveyard, I can draw one card." He drew his card and placed it in his hand without looking at it. "Not that I really need it anyway. Go, Omega! Finish that thing off!" The radiant centaur charged forwards, brandishing a blade of pure light that it had materialised from nowhere. With a cry, it slashed down at James, who staggered back from the force of the attack.

**Keane LP:** 3900 [WINNER]

**James LP:** 1150 → 0

A claxon sounded to signal the end of the duel, and the augmented reality faded away around them. Keane and James removed their D-Gazers, walked over to the centre of the field, and shook hands.

"You did well James," Keane said.

"Likewise man," James replied, grinning. "I almost had you there. If I hadn't forgotten about Omega's effect..."

"Then you'd still be in exactly the same predicament," Keane interrupted. "No amount of hindsight would've saved you this time."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right..." James muttered, before they heard a shout from across the field. Turning, they saw two girls running towards them. One was Esta, Keane's sister. The other was Katie, one of James' friends.

"Look out, here comes your significant other," Keane joked.

James' face instantly went red. "Shut up," he whispered. "We're not even a couple."

"Not _yet_," Keane countered. "But if you got the chance, I bet you would. Am I right?" He struggled not to laugh at the look on James' face as the girls drew closer.

Keane's power of observation never failed to irritate James. Desperate to salvage some of his dignity, he tried to muster a comeback. "Well you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" he said. "Been doing much with Esta recently?"

"Eh?" Keane gasped. "What're you on about? She's my sister! She's only fourteen!"

"Stepsister," James pointed out, with all the tact and intelligence of a hippopotamus. "Technically you aren't related by blood, so you could."

Keane just gaped at him. He was genuinely disgusted by the idea. "You know what, James? You can be a real idiot sometimes," he muttered, as Esta finally reached them.

"That was amazing!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him.

Keane hugged her back, then extricated himself from her grip and looked her in the eyes. "So, what do you think sis? Do you still think dueling is horrible?"

She shook her head vigorously. "No way, it's fantastic! You looked so cool out there!" Fuelled by excitement, she turned to James and hugged him as well. "So did you!"

"Did I?" said James, before quickly regaining his composure. "Well, er... I suppose I did..."

Katie was the last to join them, and a quick glance at her face was enough for Keane to see the jealousy seeping from her every pore, as James struggled to escape Esta's grip. He felt like laughing at the pair of them. _'Katie and James… they're so made for each other,' _he thought. _'I wish they'd hurry up and get it over with already.'_

Still, Katie was starting to look awkward standing there by herself, so Keane turned to Esta. "Come on sis, time for us to go." She nodded and finally released James. The four of them said their goodbyes, and Keane and Esta began the long walk home. "So," he said to her once they'd gone a little way. "Think you wanna give this game a try?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Totally," she grinned. "You know that big horsey thing... um... what was it called?"

"Constellar Omega?" Keane suggested. "And it's a centaur, not a horse."

"Yeah, that's it!" Esta smiled. "That was the best card in the whole duel. I just love how it can protect itself like that, while still being powerful on its own."

Keane chuckled under his breath. "Well then," he said cryptically, unzipping his schoolbag and rummaging around inside it. "Looks like I made the right choice then."

Esta glanced at him questioningly as he pulled out a small package wrapped in paper, and handed it to her. "What is it?"

"A present," Keane replied. "I sneaked out of school and picked it up at lunchtime."

She gaped at him. "You sneaked out of school? I thought you told me it was bad to do that."

"You don't have to take it if you don't want to," Keane said pointedly, reaching out a hand as if to take the package back. Immediately she snatched it out of reach and began ripping at the paper. Keane smiled and lowered his hand. "So I'll take that as a 'no', shall I?"

She wasn't listening. Curiosity had finally gotten the better of her – as it always did – and she made light work of the wrapping paper, tearing it away until a small, rectangular box was sitting in her palm. Without pausing, she prised off the lid to reveal the contents.

Her eyes widened with surprise.

She looked at Keane, and he nodded and gestured for her to continue. She placed a hand over the top of the box and flipped it over, allowing the contents to fall into her hand.

It was a Deck. A full fifty-five card Deck as well. It was practically straight out of the box, but Keane had tweaked both the Main and Extra Decks slightly, adding more cards from his own collection so that his sister would have more flexibility in her Summons.

Esta shrieked with delight and pulled Keane into a bone-crushing hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cried, her voice muffled from being buried in Keane's jacket.

"Now be sure to look after them," Keane told her once they finally separated. "Don't leave them anywhere unattended, don't let anyone steal them, and _definitely_ don't leave them in your pockets when I put the washing machine on, ok?"

She nodded, but Keane sensed that the world around her had ceased to exist as she sifted through her new Deck, reading each of her new cards extensively. She was particularly happy to see a Constellar Omega card, of which Keane had located a spare in his collection and managed to slip in.

Finally, she turned to her brother and asked the obvious question. "Can I try them out now?"

Keane pretended to consider for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

**Welcome to the world of Keane and Esta. Please wipe your feet.**

**Fun Fact #1: Keane and Esta aren't original characters in every sense of the word. For first-time readers, I strongly suggest that you head over to Rebster6's profile first and read up on those stories (I'm one of the authors for that account as well), since those stories tie directly into this one. And before you ask, yes I do have permission to use these characters because... well... I helped make them.**

**Fun Fact #2: The main purpose of this story is to let everyone know what happened to Esta prior to the events of YuGiOh! Delta: Summer Solstice, but it also serves to elaborate on James and Katie's backstory a little better.**

**Fun Fact #3: The underlining of the ATK stats represents a monster's Battle Position - it's a part of the duel structure I'm using in this story. If a monster has its ATK stat underlined, then it is currently in Attack Position. Likewise for Defence Position.**


	2. Chapter 2

_'I really am an idiot…' _Keane mused, as he rang yet another doorbell. _'Why on earth didn't I plan for this?' _

The door was yanked open, and an old man with a grizzly face and grey hair glared out at him. "What?"

"Hello," Keane said, doing his best to sound somewhat polite. "Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to have a duel with my sister – it's her first time, you see – but I don't have a spare duel disk or D-Gazer. I was wondering if you could lend us one, just for a few-"

"No!" the man barked. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Keane replied, abandoning his decorum. "Just one other thing. You should pick up some moisturizer. You look like your face was on fire and someone tried to put it out with a fork."

The man's eyes widened with outrage.

Keane smirked at his reaction. "Have a nice day sir," he said, turning away and chuckling as he heard the door slam shut behind him. "Any luck Esta?" he called across the street.

She turned away from yet another house and shook her head sadly. "Nothing. No-one's even answering."

He sighed. "Alright, keep trying." Feeling hot and irritated, he walked back down the grumpy man's pathway and back onto the street. Wearily, he made his way to the next house.

"Are you looking for something, young man?"

Keane swore and whipped around, suddenly finding himself face-to-face with a woman. He breathed a sigh of relief and took a step back. "Jeez... don't go sneaking up on people like that. You'll give someone a heart attack."

"I apologize for startling you," the woman replied emotionlessly. Examining her more closely, Keane realised that she was dressed very strangely, in white trousers and a black leather jacket with a white shirt underneath. She had straight pitch-black hair with blonde highlights, and even though it was the middle of spring and therefore not particularly sunny, she still wore sunglasses. She was also a fair bit older than Keane – he guessed that she was in her mid-thirties. She had a small rucksack slung over her shoulder.

"Well since you asked, yeah," Keane said, regaining his composure. "We're looking for a spare duel disk and D-Gazer, since we've only got one set between us. You don't happen to have one, do you?"

"I might," she said. "Who's 'we'?"

"Me and my sister," he replied, pointing across the road at Esta, who was chatting away merrily with an old pensioner who'd finally consented to open the door for her. "She's never dueled before," he went on, "and I wanted to let her practise with her new Dec-"

"What did you call her?" the woman interrupted.

Keane frowned. "Her name's Esta, wh-"

"That's not what I asked," she interrupted again. "I didn't ask for her name, I asked you what you just called her."

"My sister."

The woman looked over at Esta, then back at Keane, and motioned for him to come closer. He took a tentative step forward, and she impatiently motioned again, indicating that she wanted to whisper something to him. Keane leant in, so that his ear was right next to her mouth, her breath warm against his cheek.

"Liar..." she whispered.

Kean recoiled in horror, staring at her. Her expression – or what he could see of it – hadn't changed. "How the... what in earth is... who the-"

"You clearly have a great deal of questions," the woman said, glancing back over at Esta. "As do I. So how about this: we'll take it in turns to ask each other questions, but we're not allowed to ask another question before we've answered the previous question. Agreed?" Keane stared at her, wild-eyed, wondering what on earth she was playing at. Finally he nodded. "Good, then let's get started. I'll even let you go first."

"Who are you?" Keane said immediately. "What're you called?"

"I'm a stranger," the woman replied. "My name won't mean anything – not to you, anyway – so for the time being, you can call me the Stranger, if you wish."

"That's not the answer," Keane accused.

"That's _an_ answer," she countered. "Just because it's not the answer you wanted to hear, doesn't mean it isn't valid. You asked me who I am, and I told you: I'm a stranger."

"But that's-"

"My turn," the Stranger interrupted. She pointed across the road at Esta. "That girl, who is she to you? And don't lie to me again."

Keane simmered for a moment, wondering if he should even bother replying. Still, she wasn't asking for anything too personal yet, and answering would give him the opportunity to ask more questions of his own. Besides, he had an out to her question anyway. "Alright, she's not my true sister, she's my stepsister," he said. "My mum married her dad, which means that, even though we're not related by blood, she's still technically-"

"Liar!" the Stranger hissed. "Stop lying to me kid. I know all about you and her – how you discovered her less than a year ago, lying in a crater at the side of a deserted country road, surrounded by pieces of shrapnel..."

Keane froze. "How do you know about that?" he whispered fearfully.

"I've been watching you for a long time, young man," the Stranger replied. "You and her. I know exactly how you two met and of the circumstances leading up to that moment. And I still want my question answered."

"Why?" Keane asked. He was beginning to feel dazed and scared. "You clearly already know the answer."

"Maybe I wasn't being entirely clear," she muttered. "I wasn't asking what relation she is to you; I was asking who she is to you. What does she mean to you? How much do you care about her?" She lowered her head so that her sunglasses were level with Keane's eyes. He got the distinct impression that she was staring at him very intently. "Think about it. You don't know this girl; you only met her a year ago. You don't know who she is, where she's from, or what happened to her."

"Neither does she," Keane countered. "She can't remember anything about her old life."

"I'm aware of that too," the Stranger replied. "Her mysterious amnesia. So answer me this: why should you care about this girl? For all you know, she could bring trouble to you, or danger. She could even be lying about her memory loss. Why do you protect her?"

"Listen here," Keane growled, his anger finally overcoming his fear. "I don't care who you are or why you're here, but I can tell you one thing: you're not going to break up me and my sister."

"Liar. She's not your-"

"I know she isn't!" Keane shouted. "That's not the point! When I found her, she didn't know her own name – I had to give her one! She didn't know what food or cars or electricity was! She couldn't even dress herself! But I taught her! I taught her everything about this world and helped her to find her way! She needs me, and for as long as she continues to need me, I'm always going to be there for her! I don't care what you say – that makes us siblings!" Keane stopped, breathing heavily and glaring at the Stranger, daring her to refute his words, daring her to call him a liar one more time.

The Stranger nodded. "Good," she said, and if Keane wasn't so pumped-up, he might've heard a tiny trace of amusement creep into her words. "That's a good way to feel. There are bad times ahead, so hold onto that philosophy – it'll serve you well in the coming year."

Her calm voice tempered Keane's anger, and rather than go on shouting, he just glared at her, simmering angrily. This woman knew far too much about Keane's life – even more after that outburst – and he didn't like it one bit.

"Your turn."

Keane blinked. "My turn for what?"

"To ask a question," the Stranger replied. "Or have you run out of questions already?"

"Not a chance," Keane growled, and considered for a moment before asking. "Are you a policewoman?" _'That would make sense,' _he thought to himself. _'It would explain how she knows so much.' _

"A policewoman?" the Stranger chuckled humourlessly. "Hardly. I work alone, not as part of a group or organisation. Next question – if I were to cross the road right now and attack Esta, what would you do?"

This question caught Keane off guard. "The same thing I'd do to anyone else who lays a hand on my sister."

"Which is?"

"Rip them limb from limb," he replied, his fists clenching. "I don't care who they are, how big they are, or even where they are – if someone hurts my little sister, I'll kill them. Slowly."

"Good," the Stranger said again, unslinging the rucksack from her shoulder. "Well, I think that'll be all for today. Here-" she tossed the rucksack at Keane, who caught it and staggered back. "I believe that was what you were looking for. If it serves you or Esta well, I won't ask for it back. Good luck to you." She turned around and started walking away.

"Wait, hold up!" Keane called after her. She stopped, but kept her back to him. "How do you know all this? Have you been spying on us?"

The Stranger considered for a moment before answering. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I've been watching a lot of people for a very long time now. You and her. And the mad Professor with all his scheming. And Skyler, his unfortunate subordinate who lost everything. And the Doctor, who will seek to control the plague even while it controls him. And the five children, who will soon be thrown into something far bigger than they will ever know. Because it's just that, Keane..." Finally she looked over her shoulder at him. "...it's so much bigger than any of them will ever realise."

"What is?" Keane called. "Who are those people? What're you talking about?"

The Stranger smiled at him, but Keane could see no amusement in that expression. "That's too many questions, Keane," she replied. "And besides, it's my turn."

Without another word, she turned and hurried away. At the same time he heard running footsteps behind him, and a second later, Esta was by his side, panting and puffing. "Who was that woman, Keane?" she asked curiously.

"Um... no-one..." he muttered, feeling completely dazed. "Just... just a stranger..."

"I thought you told me never to talk to strangers."

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "I should probably learn to listen to my own advice..."

"What's in the bag?" she asked.

With a start, Keane remembered the rucksack that was still in his arms. With shaking hands, he unzipped it and pulled it open. Sitting at the bottom was a gold-painted duel disk and D-Gazer.

He grinned widely and showed the contents to Esta. "Well, at least she was a nice stranger."

*SOME TIME LATER*

By the time Keane had taught Esta the ins and outs of a duel disk, as well as some of the functions of her new D-Gazer, the sun was going down, so Keane decided that they would have a single proper duel in a nearby farmer's field, then have some normal duels at home, without their duel disks.

"You ready for this, sis," he called, doing his best to push any thoughts of the Stranger out of his head, for her sake.

"Yeah," Esta replied enthusiastically. Tapping a button on her D-Gazer to link it with Keane's, she marvelled at how the augmented reality field covered the area around them, tinting everything an electronic green. "But big bro, would you mind going easy on me to start with?"

"Of course I will," Keane replied. _'She really is naïve,' _he thought to himself with amusement. _'As if I would ever use my full strength against my own sister.'_

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Esta LP:** 4000

**Keane LP:** 4000

"You can take the first move sis," Keane called.

"Thanks!" she smiled. "I draw. Um... I'll Normal Summon Constellar Sheratan." A small, almost childish-looking monster appeared, with white armour and a small, strangely-shaped dagger in one hand. Esta gave a little squeak of joy as it appeared.

Constellar Sheratan: Beast-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 1900

Keane laughed – she could be really adorable sometimes. "Well done sis. Your first Normal Summon."

She beamed at him, then continued her turn. "I use Sheratan's effect. When it's Normal Summoned, I can search through my Deck for any Monster Card with Constellar in its name, and add it to my hand." After a moments searching, she revealed Constellar Algiedi and placed it in her hand. "Then... um... I guess I'll place a card face-down and end my turn." She inserted the card into her duel disk, and grinned happily as it appeared on her field.

"Good opening move," Keane complemented her. "Now watch this. My turn, draw. I Summon Noble Knight Artorigus." A warrior appeared, garbed in an old-fashioned armour with fur a lining and no helmet. Esta stared at it in awe.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

"Battle!" Keane declared. "Artorigus, attack Sheratan!" With a battle cry the warrior charged at the miniature monster, who whimpered and shielded its face.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Book of Moon," Esta responded, her face-down flipping up. "This card lets me change any monster on the field into face-down Defence Position."

"Ah, I see," Keane said, nodding in understanding. "You're going to flip my monster face-down and stop its attack."

"I can?" she said, looking genuinely surprised. "That's pretty cool, I didn't know it could stop attacks too." She paused for a moment as she reconsidered her move. Artorigus, now halfway across the field, was shifting impatiently. Then she grinned cheekily. "Nah, I think I'll stick to my own idea!" Keane's eyes narrowed. "I target Constellar Sheratan." Instantly, her only monster dissipated into particles of light, which reformed themselves as a face-down Defence Position card.

"Wait a minute..." Keane muttered as the attack resumed. Artorigus continued its charge, and in response, the face-down monster flipped back up.

Constellar Sheratan: Beast-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 1900

"Not good!" he gasped. Artorigus swung its sword at the young monster, who caught it on its armour, producing an almighty clang. The warrior fell back, clutching its arm, and Keane recoiled as if he'd been stung.

**Keane LP:** 4000 → 3900

* * *

**Fun Fact #4: Yep, Esta runs a Constellar Deck. Quite possibly the most revolutionary thing going on in this entire chapter. Yeah... must be. I definitely can't see anything stranger or more exciting happening...**

**Fun Fact #5: Remember kids, don't talk to strangers.**

**Fun Fact #6: I'll elaborate on Esta's condition eventually, but that won't be for a while. For now, please feel free to speculate about what on earth is going on.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Esta LP:** 4000

Constellar Sheratan: Beast-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 1900

**Keane LP:** 3900

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Despite everything, Keane found himself grinning. "Nice one sis," he called. "I dunno why I didn't think of that."

Esta beamed back. "I love this game!" she said enthusiastically.

"A person can love any game if they're winning at it," Keane replied. "So don't get overconfident. I place one card face-down and end my turn." His Set card materialised.

"My turn, I draw." Esta examined her cards carefully, and Keane was half expecting an Xyz Summon, followed by a counterattack. "I Set a monster face-down and end my turn."

But no, instead of moving to the offensive, Esta continued her defensive approach and played yet another defensive card.

Keane frowned, but didn't argue. Maybe she just didn't have the resources to Xyz Summon yet. "My turn, draw. I Summon Gene-Warped Warwolf!" A hideous, deformed creature appeared, howling at the sky. Esta eyed it nervously.

Gene-Warped Warwolf: Beast-Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 2000/DEF 100

"Battle time! Warwolf, attack Sheratan!" This time, the 100 point difference was in Keane's favour. The wolf let out another unearthly howl and charged forward, pouncing on the miniature monster and shredding it where it stood. Esta flinched as her monster was torn to pieces, but otherwise remained calm. "Now, Artorigus, attack the face-down monster!" Keane continued. As the werewolf retreated, the knight charged once again, and the face-down monster flipped up to receive the attack. The defending monster had armour similar to Sheratan, but had a more streamlined look to its helmet, and carried two large orange pincers on its hands.

Constellar Acubens: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 2000

Once again, Artorigus slammed its sword against the defending monster, and once again, it failed to leave so much as a dent.

**Keane LP:** 3900 → 3700

Keane was taken aback by this new monster. He wanted to question Esta about her choice, but his duelist instincts wouldn't let him just let. Priority one was to get that monster off the field, and if he didn't act now, he'd miss his window. "At the end of the Damage Step, I activate a Quick-Play Spell of my own, Revenge Attack!" He activated the card straight from his hand. "If a monster I control attacks but fails to destroy its attack target by battle, this card lets it attack again with 1000 extra attack points!"

Noble Knight Artorigus: ATK 1800 → 2800

"Go Artorigus, attack Acubens again!" The warrior charged again and, with newfound strength, swung at the armoured creature. This time it succeeded, and the blade produced a single resounding peal as metal struck metal, and sliced straight through the star knight's armour.

"Aw," Esta said, visibly disappointed at her monster's destruction. "I thought that much DEF would've lasted me for ages."

"Actually, I wanted to ask about that," Keane replied. "You Set that thing face-down, but it's a Level four monster. I know you have Constellar Algiedi in your hand, which is also a Level four. Why didn't you go straight for an Xyz Summon instead of playing defensive?"

"Um..." Esta considered the question. "I think it's because I didn't want to take the risk..." She nodded. "Yeah, that's it. I was worried about my move backfiring because of your face-down, so isn't it better to play defensive?"

"A bit defensive is fine, but solely defensive will never work," Keane replied. Esta shot him a questioning look. "Think about it. If you were to do nothing but play defensive for the next ten turns, then what would the end result be? My face-down card would still be here, waiting, and you'd still be too worried about it to attack. And all the while I'd be amassing my monsters into an army and slowly wearing down your field. You see?"

"I guess..." Esta said, looking abashed.

"Don't feel bad," Keane added. "You're new – you're not used to all these strategies yet. Just remember that to win a duel, you have to take some risks. No-one can win a duel by relying on defensive tactics alone."

"Gotcha," Esta smiled. "Thanks big brother!"

"Anytime sis," Keane replied. "I end my turn there."

With her enthusiasm back en masse, Esta dived into her next move. "I draw. First, I use the effect of Oracle of the Sun in my hand." She flipped the card around to show it to Keane. "If I control no monsters but my opponent does, this card can be Special Summoned straight from my hand!" Sure enough, the Incan priest appeared, dressed in a white robe with an orange sun emblazoned onto the chest.

Oracle of the Sun: Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 1000/DEF 2000

"Then I Normal Summon Constellar Leonis!" A smaller star warrior appeared. It vaguely resembled Sheratan from earlier, but had a blue cape, bright blue hair, and glowing blue protrusions sprouting from its fingertips. The Constellar's symbol – a gold circle with a cross through it – was printed onto its chest and shoulder pads.

Constellar Leonis: Beast-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1800

"Then I'll use Leonis' effect," she continued, studying her card's text carefully. "From what I can tell, this card lets me perform an extra Normal Summon this turn, as long as I use it for a monster with Constellar in its name."

"That's right," Keane prompted. "Keep going." _'…with whatever it is you're doing,' _he thought sceptically.

"Alright," Esta grinned. "With this effect, I Normal Summon Constellar Algiedi!" A thin, feminine monster appeared, dressed in the same radiant white armour as the others and sporting their crest on its chest. As a weapon, she carried a short staff with a blue diamond configuration at the end.

Constellar Algiedi: Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1400

"Now I activate Algiedi's effect! When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Constellar monster from my hand that's exactly Level four. So join the party, Constellar Kaus!" A brilliant white-armoured centaur appeared, with a sturdy golden bow balanced on its shoulder. The Constellar's golden crest was imprinted onto its navel, and the monster itself seemed to be giving off a pale turquoise glow.

Constellar Kaus: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 700

Esta examined her army of monsters with barely-disguised glee. "Next I'll use Kaus' effect! This lets me increase or decrease the Level of a Constellar monster I control by one. I'll give an extra Level to Leonis!" One of the two blue orbs in Kaus' longbow lit up, then sent a stream of pale blue energy at the star knight standing next to it, upping its Level.

Constellar Leonis: Level 3 → 4

"This is it!" she grinned, practically hopping up and down with excitement. "Level four Algiedi and Leonis... Overlay!" At her command, the two star knights morphed into yellow amorphous masses, then shot up into the sky. Where they had stood, a red circular portal opened up. "I use these two LIGHT-Attribute monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Even having heard that same chant three times in her brother's last duel, Esta was still proud of herself for getting it right first time. In front of her, the two Xyz Material Monsters spiralled down into the portal, which erupted upwards. "Come on out, Constellar Omega!" From out of the glittering residue, a radiant centaur leapt onto Esta's field. It was coloured a magnificent white and gold, with black protrusions that resembled wings coming from its back. The Constellar's Xyz crest - a golden circle with eight points, and a smaller copy of itself within - was sparkling on its chest. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited it.

Constellar Omega: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 500 – 2 OLU

Esta couldn't contain her excitement anymore. She leapt up and punched the air with a cry of joy. "I did it! I did it!" she whooped. "I Xyz Summoned! I can't believe it!"

Despite himself, Keane laughed. _'So excitable, and so happy,' _he mused. _'I hope she never changes.'_

Finally calming down somewhat, Esta examined her new monster with awe and pride. She had liked this monster from the moment she saw it, and her admiration for it had only grown the more she had seen Keane use it in action. Now, to see it on her field, as her very own monster... it was almost too much to take in.

Nevertheless, using her excitement to fuel herself, she pressed on. "I activate Kaus' effect again," she declared, grinning. "Remember - this effect can be activated up to twice per turn. So I'll thing I'll use it on Kaus itself this time." A stream of blue light flowed out of the second unused gem on Kaus' bow, surrounding its wielder.

Constellar Kaus: Level 4 → 5

"Uh oh..." Keane muttered, knowing what was coming. And sure enough:

"Level five Kaus and Oracle, Overlay!" The two remaining monsters, like their predecessors, turned into fully yellow fragments of energy, before shooting up into the sky, clearing the way for a second red portal to appear beneath them. "I use these two LIGHT-Attribute monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters sailed into the portal, which exploded with light. "Rise up, Constellar Pleiades!" A shining warrior rose out of the portal, dressed in radiant white armour with gold trim. This star knight wore a strange black cloak which splayed out from its back in sections like a seven-fingered hand, and carried a large semi-circular golden blade in one hand. The crest of the Constellar Xyz Monsters was printed onto its chest just like the others, and two yellow orbs of light circled it, passing neatly through the gaps in its cape.

Constellar Pleiades: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU

"Pleiades' effect activates," Esta went on. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units - or whatever they're called - I can return one card from the field to its owner's hand." Pleiades studied the orbits of its Overlay Units for a second, then slashed upwards with its curved blade, slicing straight through one of its glowing orbs and absorbing the residue into its weapon.

Constellar Pleiades: 2 → 1 OLU

"The card I return is Noble Knight Artorigus," Esta said decisively. Pleiades obediently pointed its blade at the opposing warrior and sent out a stream of shimmering energy waves. The knight covered its face as they washed over him, then faded from sight. "Now let's attack!" Esta exclaimed. "Pleiades, attack Gene-Warped Warwolf!" With a shout, the star knight leapt into the air and, traveling in a graceful arc, brought its weapon down on the wolf, cleaving it clean in two. Keane covered his face from the resulting explosion.

**Keane LP: **3700 → 3200

"Now Omega, direct attack!" Esta called. The radiant centaur charged forwards, brandishing a blade of pure light that it had materialised from nowhere. With a cry, it slashed down at Keane, who staggered back from the force of the attack.

**Keane LP:** 3200 → 800

* * *

**Fun Fact #7: Revenge Attack isn't bolded in this story because it isn't my card. It's from the ZEXAL anime. Yuma used it in Episode 16 to force Number 39: Utopia to make a second attack on Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja, thus winning.**

**Fun Fact #8: For those who are wondering why Esta chose the apparently weaker Artorigus to return rather than Warwolf, it's because Artorigus was still under the boost from Revenge Attack, so its ATK was still 2800. Apparently Revenge Attack's boost doesn't actually wear off...**

**Fun Fact #9: Wolves are not catapults!**

**Fun Fact #10: That's Constellars for you. If you let them swarm, then they will most certainly abuse that privilege.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Esta LP:** 4000

Constellar Omega: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 500 – 2 OLU

Constellar Pleiades: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1500 – 1 OLU

**Keane LP:** 800

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

Keane was stunned by the ferocity of his sister's counterattack. He'd honestly never thought her capable of such a move... yet here she was, with full Life Points and two powerful Xyz Monsters, facing off against himself, who'd been reduced to a single face-down card.

"What do you think, big brother?" Esta asked. "Did I do ok?"

Keane shook his head in amazement. "Ok? That was outstanding sis."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You don't know this yet, but it's actually difficult in the extreme to Summon out two Xyz Monsters in a single turn. Yet this is your very first duel, and you've done it easily! You've got some real skill behind you."

Esta beamed with delight. Then a thought occurred to her, and her face immediately fell. "Keane... are you going easy on me?"

'_Yes!' _he thought. "No!" he lied. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, I saw you dueling James, you were doing really good and Summoning all those Xyz Monsters and it was all really cool," she said. "But you're not doing it against me? Why not?"

"I... well, I... um..." Keane struggled to think of a plausible reason. "I dunno... I guess I just haven't got the Materials to do it yet."

"Yes you did!" Esta replied immediately. "You had that werewolf thing and Artorigus, and both of those are Level four monsters. Why didn't you Xyz Summon then?"

'_Kids these days...'_ Keane mused. _'Too bloody smart for their own good.' _"Um... I- er, I mean, I guess I was just excited to see you doing so well," he said slowly. "I wanted to see what you're really capable of before I start getting too serious."

"Ok..." Esta still seemed uncertain, but seemed to accept this explanation without question. "But Keane, could you please start taking this duel seriously?" she asked. "I really want to have a proper duel with you where you aren't being nice just because I'm you're sister. Please?"

"Jeez, you're impossible..." Keane sighed. "Fine, no holding back, I promise."

"Yay!" Esta grinned. "Thank you big brother!" There was a brief pause while both of them stared at each other across the field, both faces mirroring the other's expectant gaze. After a while, Esta piped up again and said, "Well?"

"Well what?" Keane asked.

"Are you going to try and make a comeback or not?"

Keane sighed. "Well I can't really do that until you've finished your turn, can I?"

Esta gave a small squeak of dismay. "Sorry. I end my- no, wait, I place one card face-down. Now I end my turn." Her set card appeared.

"Dear me," Keane smiled. "Still a long way to go I see. My turn, draw!" He glanced at his drawn card, and immediately several options presented themselves to him. All of them involving Xyz Summoning. _'Well, I guess it's for the best,' _he thought to himself. _'If I don't Xyz Summon something, she'll throw a tantrum from me holding back.' _He nodded. "Alright then, I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Treasure. This card lets me draw one card for every Xyz Monster on the field."

"Wait, how does that work?" Esta asked. "You don't have any Xyz Monsters."

Keane raised his eyebrow. "Beg your pardon? I said 'the' field, not 'my' field. This card counts the number of Xyz Monsters on both players' fields. And as it happens, you control two, so I draw two cards." He drew his cards, and grinned. "Now I activate another Spell Card, Forced Release. This card takes all the Overlay Units away from one monster on the field. I'll take the last Overlay Unit that Pleiades has left."

"Oh no you don't," Esta responded. "I activate Constellar Omega's effect!"

"Um, Esta..." Keane began.

"By detaching one of its Overlay Units," Esta went on, ignoring him, "all face-up 'Constellar' monsters on my field become immune to the effects of Spell and Trap Cards for the whole rest of the turn!" One of Omega's glowing yellow orbs was absorbed into the symbol on its chest.

Constellar Omega: 2 → 1 OLU

The centaur's body flashed white, signifying the activation of its effect. At the same moment, Pleiades' armour flashed in the same way, placing it under the same protection. Esta smiled with satisfaction, pleased with her quick thinking... then gasped with dismay as Pleiades' remaining Overlay Unit dropped out of its orbit, as though suddenly remembering that gravity applied to it. The glowing orb dissipated the second it hit the ground.

Constellar Pleiades: 1 → 0 OLU

"Wh- what happened?" she asked, dismayed. "Wasn't Omega's effect supposed to protect Pleiades from Spell Cards?"

"I tried to warn you sis," Keane said. "Forced Release does target your monster, but the effect that resolves doesn't actually affect your monster directly. It only affects its Overlay Units. Omega's protection doesn't extend that far."

"Really?" she said, staring at her two monsters sadly. "Did I mess up again?"

"Come on, don't be like that," Keane said, trying to sound cheerful. "Think of how much you're learning in this duel alone. When it comes to dueling someone for real, you'll be totally ready for everything they throw at you. View this as a good thing, not a bad thing, ok?"

She smiled and nodded. "Ok."

"Right then, let's continue. I Summon Rescue Rabbit." Keane's key monster hopped onto the field, complete with hardhat and a lifeguard's whistle.

Rescue Rabbit: Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 300/DEF 100

"That's it!" Esta said excitedly. "That's the card you kept using against James! Every time you Summoned it, you always Xyz Summoned straight after!"

Keane nodded. "And this time is no different," he said. Esta was practically hopping up and down with excitement. "Now I activate Rescue Rabbit's effect," he continued. "By banishing it, I can Special Summon two copies of a Level four or lower Normal Monster from my Deck. I choose my remaining two Noble Knight Artorigus'." As the rabbit faded from existence, two new warriors, identical to the first one he'd Summoned, appeared to take its place.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

"Both Level four Artorigus', Overlay!" Both warriors morphed into yellow amorphous masses of energy, then shot upwards, clearing the way for another red circular portal to open up beneath them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters spiralled down into the portal, which exploded with light. "Appear! Heroic Champion – Excalibur!" From within the depths of the portal, a red-armoured warrior emerged with a mighty battle cry. It's armour sported sharp, streamlined shoulder spikes, solid chest and leg guards, and a helmet with a yellow cross affixed to the forehead. Two yellow Overlay Units traced circles around the proud knight.

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU

Esta squealed with excitement. "Wow! It's so cool!" she cried, staring at the monster with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, you're about to get a closer look?" Keane grinned. "I activate Excalibur's effect! By detaching two of its Overlay Units, I can double its original ATK until the end of your next turn." The regal warrior raised its sword to the sky, and one after the other, both yellow orbs of light were absorbed into the blade, coating the wielder in a mystical light.

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: 2 → 0 OLU

Heroic Champion – Excalibur: ATK 2000 → 4000

"Battle! Heroic Champion – Excalibur, attack Constellar Omega!" With another battle cry, the warrior charged towards the centaur and brought its sword down, cleaving straight through its chest. Omega gave a terrible cry of pain before exploding, and Esta covered her face from the force of the attack.

**Esta LP:** 4000 → 2400

"That's not all," Keane went on. "Now I activate the Trap Card, Continuous Attack!" His sole face-down card flipped up. "When one of my monsters destroys one of yours by battle, this card allows it to immediately attack again during this Battle Phase. So go, Excalibur, take out Constellar Pleiades!" Rather than retreating to its owner's field, Excalibur turned to face the opposing warrior, then launched itself sideways and lashed out with its blade. Pleiades staggered back and succumbed to destruction like its brethren.

**Esta LP:** 2400 → 900

"With that, I end my turn," Keane said. Then, worried that he'd been a bit overzealous with his comeback, he added, "Hey sis, are you ok?"

"You bet!" Esta replied, grinning from ear to ear. "This is the best! I wish you'd been going all out from the start."

Keane raised an eyebrow. "Do you enjoy losing then?"

"No no," Esta scrambled to correct herself. "It's just so much more exciting when we're both fighting to our fullest."

"Can't argue with you there," Keane smiled. "Alright, I end my turn. Now let's see _your_ miraculous comeback."

"You betcha," she nodded enthusiastically. "My turn, draw." Her eyes widened in awe as she beheld her drawn card. She didn't play it straight away though, but instead took another card from her hand. "I Summon Constellar Sombre!" With a flash of light, the Spellcaster appeared. It was dressed gloriously in a white and blue coat with golden trim, and had two blue wings with a fantastic golden web design etched into them. It was surrounded by a glowing green belt, and was carrying some tools that Keane recognised from her previous Constellar monsters, and many that were new. It looked like the ultimate conglomeration of the Constellar archetype.

Constellar Sombre: Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1550/DEF 1600

"Now I use Sombre's effect," she went on. "Once per turn, I can banish one Constellar monster from my Graveyard, in order to add another Constellar monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I banish Constellar Leonis from my Graveyard to get back my Constellar Kaus." Two cards slid out of her Graveyard. She placed one in her hand and pocketed the other.

_'Ah, I know what she's doing,' _Keane realised.

"Now I'll use its second effect," Esta continued. "During the turn I used its first effect, I can Summon another Constellar monster from my hand, even though I've already Normal Summoned once this turn. So come on out again, Constellar Kaus!" The bow-toting centaur took to the field once again.

Constellar Kaus: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 700

_'She's going for an Xyz Summon,' _Keane thought to himself. _'Using Kaus' effect, she could potentially Summon any of the Constellar Xyz Monsters. Problem is, she's already used the only copy of Pleiades she has. She could still use a combination of Hyades and M7 to destroy Excalibur, but that'll still leave me in the game. Or maybe she'll Summon Praesepe and just let Excalibur's boost wear off. That's what I would do-'_

"I activate Kaus' effect twice," Esta said, snapping him out of his reverie. "I target Sombre and itself... and I'll choose to increase both their Levels by one." Kaus obediently let off two streams of blue energy, one from each of the blue orbs on its longbow, which suffused both her monsters.

Constellar Sombre: Level 4 → 5

Constellar Kaus: Level 4 → 5

"Eh?" Keane said, confused. "Esta... you do realise you're out of Rank 5 Xyz Monsters, right?"

Esta glanced at him questioningly. "Did you think I was going to Xyz Summon?" she asked.

"You mean you're not?"

The young girl beamed. "Nope. I'm going to do this!" She took the card she'd drawn that turn from her hand and held it aloft. "I Tribute both Sombre and Kaus..." Both the monsters on her field dissipated, "...to Special Summon this! Come on out, **Lighting Star Constellaryu**!" With a flash of light, a strange glowing circle appeared on her field, with the symbol 龙 printed into the centre. A rumble echoed overhead, and Keane barely managed to shield his eyes before a lightning bolt streaked down from the heavens and struck the centre of the rhystic symbol with a mighty bang. What was left of the field that Keane could see was briefly flooded with light, which faded almost as quickly as it had appeared. When he dared open his eyes again, the view that greeted him was astonishing.

Hovering just behind Esta was the most magnificent dragon he's ever seen. It seemed to be made entirely from an ethereal light blue energy, but still retained enough structural integrity to at least look solid. From the base of its skull to the tip of its tail was a line of energy that seemed to flicker and dance like flames, and its entire body was wreathed with arcs of electricity. More than that, however, it had an almost unearthly shine to it.

**Lightning Star Constellaryu: Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2900/DEF 2400**

Funnily enough, Esta was just as star-struck by this new arrival as her brother was. For the best part of a minute, she just stood there, staring up at her new monster, before she finally remembered the duel and turned back to Keane. "Ready, big brother?" she asked excitedly.

Keane gulped and nodded. He'd totally forgotten about the Lightning Star cards he'd added to Esta's basic Structure Deck... and now it was probably about to cost him the game.

"Alright then, I activate the effect of **Lightning Star Constellaryu**!" Esta declared. "If you control a monster with more ATK than this card, by banishing any Xyz Monster with Constellar in its name from my Graveyard, this card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster I banished. I'll banish Constellar Pleiades!" As she removed the card from her Graveyard, a ghostly image of the star knight materialized briefly on her field, before bursting into a shower of golden particles, which were absorbed into the ethereal dragon.

**Lightning Star Constellaryu: ATK 2900 **→** 5400**

"Battle!" she called. "Constellaryu, attack his Excalibur!" The dragon flared with light along its entire length, and in one smooth motion, it drew its head back and fired a shining beam of celestial energy. The beam surged across the field and struck Keane's beefed-up warrior square in the chest. Excalibur was annihilated on the spot, and Keane fell back from the force of the resulting explosion.

**Keane LP:** 800 → 0

* * *

Author-made cards:

Lightning Star Constellaryu  
Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2900/DEF 2400  
Cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by Tributing 2 face-up Level 5 or higher "Constellar" monsters you control. During either player's turn, if your opponent controls a face-up monster(s) with a higher ATK than this card: You can banish 1 "Constellar" Xyz Monster from your Graveyard; this card gains ATK equal to that banished monster's ATK until the End Phase. You can only use this effect of "Lightning Star Constellaryu" once per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #11: The symbol 龙 mentioned during Constellaryu's Summoning is the Chinese symbol for 'dragon'.**

**Fun Fact #12: The Lightning Star monsters are named after the Lightning Star Duelist Set (effectively a Constellar Structure Deck) that was released in the OCG not too long ago. Constellaryu isn't the only one; there are a few others ready to go, like Lightning Star Constellaraulf and Lightning Star Constellarohu. These will be revealed in the upcoming Chapters.**

**Fun Fact #13: So when I was about halfway through the story, I went to write the word 'conglomeration'. I'd heard it in spoken dialect before, but as is the way of writers, I wanted to be absolutely sure of its definition before I used it in my writing. So I Googled it, and the first site I clicked on gave me these definitions: "The act or process of conglomerating." and "The state of being conglomerated." Gee thanks TheFreeDictionaryDotCom, that's very helpful of you.**


End file.
